Pictured: “Enjoy! It’s from Europe” Shanghai Restaurant Promotion Opening

A gala gourmet lunch was held at La Maison restaurant in Shanghai to mark the kick off of a two-week European restaurant promotion entitled “Enjoy! It’s from Europe”. This two-week restaurant promotion will take place at eight top European restaurants in Shanghai. At the launch event, VIP guests, media and influencers were served a three-course European cuisine lunch featuring high quality ingredients from countries such as Spain, Italy, France, Germany, Portugal, Ireland, The Netherlands, Denmark, Greece, Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, Sweden and Belgium. 

“Many Shanghai consumers have travelled to Europe where they discovered the diversity and quality of European cuisine, wine, beer and spirits. This restaurant promotion is a good opportunity for consumers to take a gastronomic journey without leaving Shanghai — it’s a chance to explore the traditional cuisines of Europe by visiting the eight restaurants participating in the ‘Enjoy! It’s from Europe’ restaurant promotion,” said Ferran Edo Andreu, Head Chef, The Lab in Shanghai. “For today’s Shanghai consumers, their attraction to European cuisine and food products is driven not only by their taste buds, but also by the recognition that Europe is home to safe, high quality and authentic food and beverages.” The production of all EU labelled food and beverage products follows strict hygiene regulations and control systems to ensure the safety of products and food establishments, for staff and consumers.

Pictured: Consumers enjoyed the EU dishes

“Enjoy! It’s from Europe” Restaurant Promotion: Key Details

The “Enjoy! It’s from Europe” restaurant promotion kicks off on November 6 and ends on November 20.  Shanghai consumers will have the chance to experience a range of safe, high quality and authentic EU foods and beverages at the following restaurants:

•  La Maison, a French restaurant located at 210 Jinxian Road, Huangpu District
• Pirata, a Spanish and Portuguese restaurant located at Building 6, Columbia Circle, 1262 Yanan Xi Road, Changning District
• Tomatito, a Spanish, Mediterranean and European restaurant located at Unit 08-10, 3/F, Infinitus Mall, 168 Hubin Road, Huangpu District 
• Anarkia Craft Kitchen, a Mediterranean Fusion restaurant located at 1/F, 462 Changle Road, Huangpu District
• Cotton’s, a Mediterranean and European restaurant located at 132 Anting Road, Xuhui District
• Pierogi Ladies, a Polish restaurant located at Lane 283, 8 Jiaozhou Road, near Xinzha Road, Jing‘an District
• Vanca’s, a Bulgarian restaurant located at 427 Dagu Road, Jing‘an Distric
• Epicure on 45, a German and European restaurant located at Radisson Blu Hotel Shanghai New World, 88 Nanjing Road West, Huangpu District

Pictured: Engaging vibe at the event

Each restaurant in the “Enjoy! It’s from Europe” promotion will each feature a completely different menu created especially for the promotion by the restaurant’s chef. The EU Food and Beverage Menus include appetizers, main dishes, desserts and beverages (wines, beers and cocktails). Menus will also include some of the EU Geographical Indication products. You can read more about them here https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/IP_19_6200

“The ‘Enjoy! It’s from Europe’ restaurant promotion is an excellent chance for Shanghai consumers to try some of best food and beverage products from the European Union. There are a wide range of EU food and beverage products, including meats, seafood, cheeses, wines, beer and spirits that are gaining in popularity among Shanghai consumers,” said Chef Andreu, who is from Spain and has lived in China for three years.

Pictured: Chef Andreu introducing the dishes and the EU ingredients

While many Shanghai consumers are familiar with French, Spanish and Italian restaurants, the “The ‘Enjoy! It’s from Europe’ restaurant promotion will be an opportunity to explore lesser known European cuisines such as Polish and Bulgarian. The Polish restaurant Pierogi Ladies is famous for its pierogis, a type of stuffed dumpling. For the promotion, a Beetroot and Goat Cheese Pierogi with goat cheese from Greece and sundried tomatoes from Italy will be served, along with many other traditional delicacies. As well, Pierogi Ladies features Polish beer and Polish Vodka GI. 

Vanca’s will feature many traditional Bulgarian dishes during the promotion, including  Stewed Pork Fillet prepared with pork from Denmark and white wine from Hungary. The restaurant’s delicious menu items can be enjoyed with fine Bulgarian wines and spirits.

When asked about the safety of European food and beverage products, Chef Andreu replied: “For restaurant chefs, safety is the top priority when they select food products for their restaurants. In my opinion, there is no doubt that European products are very safe because in Europe the standard of food production controls and security is high — for example the use of preservatives is carefully monitored. From what I have seen, Shanghai consumers appreciate the safety, quality and authenticity of products such as European hams, beef, pork, seafood, cheese, wine, spirits and beer as well as products such as olive oil and table olives.”

 “Colours by Europe” Campaign in China 

The communication campaign in China running until early 2022 includes numerous events for businesses and consumers, as well as strong online and media presence (WeChat, Douyin and Weibo) to promote EU agricultural products. The objective is to increase the awareness among Chinese consumers of the key attributes of EU F&B products — i.e. safety, quality and authenticity, to educate the Chinese audience on how to best enjoy them on their own, or in different food combinations, and to encourage purchase. China is the EU’s most important trading partner and the second-largest food importer in the world, with a wealthy and sophisticated society that demands a higher quality and variety of products.

Safety, Quality and Authenticity of EU Agricultural Products

Safety, quality and authenticity are the core pillars of what drives the demand of EU food and beverage products among consumers worldwide. Chinese consumers can enjoy European food and beverage products with peace of mind thanks to the comprehensive safety and quality standards at every step of growing and production. The high quality of European food and beverages is guaranteed by the stringent production standards and quality controls that are in place. Europe's diverse mix of cultures and centuries of traditions give birth to a wide variety of authentic food and beverage products.  

[Images via ‘Enjoy! It’s from Europe’ ]